


Uncaged

by ReidFan



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-22 20:18:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14316381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReidFan/pseuds/ReidFan
Summary: A prison break means choices for several inmates. And danger for Spencer Reid.





	1. Chapter 1

Uncaged

@mccabebabe@hotmail.com

A CM fanfiction

K+

(Reid, other team members)

 [Thank you to Aut, for all the corrections and suggestions, for putting up with my CanadianBritish spelling, for offering helpful input into certain aspects of the story, for researching American things I don’t have a handle on and most especially for the emotional support and the listening ear as this story was written during an especially difficult time. #humboldtstrong]

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_The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursing our own good, in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs or impede their effort to obtain it.-_ **_John Stuart Mill_ **

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He awoke with a start to the sound of something crashing in his apartment. As he fumbled for his glasses on the nightstand, his bedroom door opened forcefully. Before he could react, Spencer Reid found himself overwhelmed by two burly men. One of them clamped a hand over Reid’s mouth, dragging him off his bed. He flailed his arms in a vain attempt to break free and his left hand moved across the top of his nightstand, sweeping his watch off in the process. A gag was forced into his mouth and as he fought back, the larger of the two men punched him solidly in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. Another punch to his head and Spencer Reid’s world went black.

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         Unit Chief Emily Prentiss sat at her desk, drowning in the paperwork that plagued her position. Sighing, she stole a glance at her watch, sighing again as she noted the late hour. She signed off on several reports and set them aside as a knock on her door sounded.

 

         Without waiting for a reply, Senior Agent David Rossi opened her door and strode in. He waved his smartphone in one hand as he asked her,

 

         “Have you heard about this, Emily?” He showed her the screen but reported on its contents, “Prison break at Milburn about three hours ago.”

 

         “Milburn!” Prentiss’ eyebrows rose. “Did any escape?”

 

         “Dunno yet, they haven’t elaborated. But Emily—“

 

         She was already punching a number into her cellphone as she interrupted Rossi, “I’m calling Reid.”

 

         Thirty seconds later, she made a face at her phone and looked up at Rossi. “Voicemail.”

 

         “It’s almost midnight, Emily. He’s probably asleep.”

 

         “He needs to know about this, Dave.”

 

         “I don’t disagree, Emily—“ he let his words die on his lips.

 

         Emily was already punching another number on her phone.

 

         “Yes. This is the BAU Chief Emily Prentiss, I need a detail to go to an address to take one of my agents into Protective immediately.”

 

         Rossi stood quietly as Prentiss gave Reid’s address to her caller; made arrangements to have him brought to their office and then called their technical analyst Penelope Garcia. While Prentiss was calling Garcia, Rossi busied himself searching for updates on the prison break and moved to the television monitor on the wall across from Emily’s desk. Picking the remote up off the coffee table, he switched the unit on and called up a news channel.

  A reporter was broadcasting live from just outside the prison grounds and Prentiss joined Rossi to watch. They stood in rapt attention as the reporter disclosed that two prison guards had been killed and at least four inmates had escaped. He promised a live update from the prison warden shortly. The reporter continued to disclose the scant amount of information he had been given and the two agents paid close attention to every detail imparted. 

 

         Prentiss’ phone rang. She turned to answer it, listened to her caller and Rossi’s eyebrows rose in surprise when he heard her gasp.

 

         “Keep me informed,” she barked into her phone before ending the call and meeting Rossi’s concerned gaze. “His apartment was empty. He’s not there, Dave. I’m calling the team.”

 

         As Prentiss called Agent Jennifer Jareau, Rossi phoned Dr. Tara Lewis. 

 

         “JJ’s on her way in, I’ll call Luke,” Prentiss told him as he concluded his call.

 

         “I’ll get Matt,” Rossi replied.

 

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	2. Chapter 2

 

         Rossi filled a mug with coffee from the pot in their small kitchenette and made his way to the conference room. Garcia had arrived shortly after Prentiss contacted her and had already spread files around the round table. She looked up from her laptop to greet him as Rossi opened the door. Moments later, Prentiss joined them.

 

         “What do we know so far?” Rossi asked.

 

         “The security detail went to Reid’s apartment but he was gone. The door was ajar when they got there but there was no sign of Spence.”

 

         “Forced entry?”

 

         “Don’t know. I’d like to send someone to check that out once everyone’s here,” Prentiss replied. Their attention went to Garcia as she’d inhaled sharply.

 

         “What is it Penelope?”

 

         “They’ve ID’d the escapees, Emily. Never heard of the first two, but the other two names are familiar. Too familiar.” Her voice wavered as she divulged, “Eddie Frazier and Joe Duerson.”

 

The conference room door opened and the rest of the BAU joined the members already assembled. After updating the newcomers with the information they already had, Prentiss asked JJ and Alvez to attend at Reid’s apartment and the two agents left immediately to start that investigation.

 

“Penelope, find priors for Duerson and Frazier. Relatives, last knowns, etc.,” Prentiss directed.

 

 Garcia indicated she was returning to her office to fulfill this request and left to do so. “I’m on it, I’m all over this. Whatever it takes to find our Boy Wonder.”

 

“Matt, you and Dave go to the prison and talk to the warden and whoever else you can.”

 

Nodding, Simmons and Rossi departed to fulfill their assignment. Prentiss sighed and pulled out her phone to make another call. As she waited for her call to be answered, she told Tara Lewis to notify the nursing home Diana Reid lived in and ensure Spencer’s mother’s safety and security. Lewis immediately made the call and Prentiss’ attention returned to her own phone. 

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“This was jimmied open,” Luke decided after carefully examining Reid’s apartment door. “See, the marks? Here, and here,” he indicated for JJ’s benefit. Pulling on a glove, he opened the door and they crossed the threshold. He flipped a switch and a light came on and JJ sucked in her breath.

 

A lamp was overturned on the desk and several books had been knocked off its surface. They stepped over the fallen items carefully and headed towards Reid’s bedroom. His messenger bag sat on a chair, and the suit jacket and pants he’d worn to work that day were draped over the back of it. 

 

“His iPhone is in its charger,” Alvez noted, gesturing towards the device with one hand.

 

“And his glasses are missing,” JJ pointed out, spying the empty case on the nightstand, next to the phone charger. Alvez picked up the phone with his gloved hand. 

 

“Emily’s is the only missed call,” he read out the screen’s notice of missed calls, recognising the Chief’s number. JJ bent down and Alvez asked, “Find something?”

 

She straightened up, her gloved hand holding out Reid’s wristwatch.

 

“Good bet that he doesn’t store that on the floor next to the bed,” Alvez commented.

 

JJ looked around the room and slowly walked back out to the living room. 

 

“JJ?” Alvez could tell she was formulating a theory. He waited for her to complete her analysis. 

 

“His robe is here. Still folded neatly,” she pointed to the item in question, sitting neatly in position on the chair. Moving around the room, she hypothesized aloud, “He heard the sound of the door being jimmied, or if not that, the sound of the lamp crashing down in the darkness and put his glasses on to go investigate.”

 

Alvez pondered this and nodded in agreement, “But he never made it out to the living room. They grabbed him here, and before they could immobilise him,” he paused and amended in a regretful tone, “or however they overpowered him, he managed to knock that watch off onto the floor undetected so we’d know he didn’t go willingly.”

 

A pained look crossed JJ’s face. “I hope they didn’t drug him.”

 

“I hope they haven’t killed him,” Alvez countered in a worried tone.

 

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“I don’t know, Agents. All I can tell you is that those inmates somehow overpowered two guards down in the common room. Killed them with their own guns. Which are now missing along with the four inmates.”

 

The Milburn warden offered Rossi and Simmons coffee, which the agents politely declined. He rifled through some papers on his desk, selected several and handed them over to Rossi.

 

“The files on those four inmates. And my two guards,” his tone softened as he thought about his men. “According to Nelson, that’s the guard who found them, there was probably an altercation over a card game. There were cards scattered around the floor. And a shiv. And inmate Frazier has been caught with a shiv before. The investigating police are down there right now, if you want have a look too.” The warden offered to take them to the scene and the agents followed him.

 

“There were no others around?” Rossi asked.

 

“That’s what they tell me,” Warden Harding replied. He sighed, “And two of my men are dead. And the four guys responsible have escaped.”

 

“We’ll catch them,” Simmons promised.

 

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Reid groaned as he awakened, his temple throbbed with pain. He was lying on a small cot and covered with a thin blanket. After pulling himself to a sitting position, he rested for a few moments to allow the headache to partially subside. His glasses lay on the floor next to him and he picked them up and put them on. As his vision cleared so did his headache.

 

He assessed the situation. Unbound. That made him think he wasn’t considered a flight risk. He rose to his feet to examine his surroundings. The room in which he was imprisoned was about ten feet by ten feet.  Besides the cot, the only other furniture was a small wooden table with two chairs. The room’s only door was in one wall and in the opposite wall was the only window. Upon examining the window, Reid determined it was sealed, darkened glass and very thick.

 

“Probably bullet proof,” he surmised aloud, “and possibly one way glass.” He could look out the window, he noted, and it appeared that his cell—he shuddered at the mere thought of that word—was on an upper floor of a building. He looked down and saw people walking along the sidewalk. Cars passed by and he noted DC or Virginia plates on almost all of them.  _At least he wasn’t far away,_  he thought. Squinting, he could make out a coffee shop across the street and, he paused that train of thought to figure out directions. Assuming it was morning, the sun was to his left but fairly high in the sky. Without his watch or phone to check, he decided it was somewhere around 10 am and the position of the sun told him the room faced a southerly direction. There were other buildings all around his location and he couldn’t see past the concrete towers to ascertain how far away it was to the bay, but he knew it would be off to his left. The apparent age and architecture of the surrounding buildings made him believe he was in Anacostia area of DC but neither the Potomac nor the Anacostia Rivers were visible. 

 

People walking along the sidewalk beneath the building showed no reaction when he rapped on the window. A flag on the building across the road flapped in the wind. He moved to the other wall, checking out the door. As he’d expected, the knob turned but didn’t open the door; it was likely bolted from the outside. After examining the door, he noted the hinges faced inside. If he had a tool he could knock the pins out and take the door off the hinges. He rolled his eyes at himself, noting that nothing on his pajamas could possibly aid him in that endeavour. His hand went absently into his pocket and he was surprised—and happy—to find a spoon. Despite his situation he laughed.  _A spoon left on the dresser in his bedroom from the cup of herbal tea he’d made for himself a few nights ago_ , he thought,  _could conceivably save his life._ Why he’d picked it up from the dresser and left it in his pocket without returning it to the kitchen puzzled him but he celebrated this apparent lax in his housekeeping.He hid the spoon under the cot and then turned his thoughts to his captors.

 

Obviously, he’d been kidnapped.  _But not killed_ , he thought. “They must want something in exchange for me,” he mused aloud, “Or. They’re working for someone else.” He closed his eyes to concentrate on the kidnapping. Two men. Both were bigger than him and had short dark hair. His nose wrinkled in aversion. They were unwashed, he recalled. Neither had said anything to him but they had spoken to each other. Reid was annoyed that his eidetic memory was failing him at the moment. He couldn’t remember the words his assailants had exchanged and attributed the fogginess of the memory to the headache that wasn’t quite gone. Grimacing, he recalled being punched repeatedly and took several long deep breaths and then closed his eyes. The scene replayed in his mind and this time, he concentrated on the assailants. Their faces came into his view but he didn’t recognise either man. His glance travelled downwards and he remembered their white t-shirts and denim shirts and trousers and gasped.

 

“Prison inmates,” he realised, although he didn’t know either of them.

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

         “Okay, inmates David Smith and Kyle Waters are both relatively recent inmates at Milburn, Lady Emily,” Garcia related. “Smith is serving five to ten for armed robbery and Waters is doing five to forty for second degree murder. They’ve only been at Milburn for seven weeks, during which time both have been involved in misdeeds with our not-friend Frazier.”

 

         “Details, Penelope?” Prentiss prodded.

 

         “You’d think they’d have learned from their previous—“ Garcia began and let that comment drift away to comply with Emily’s query, “Both Smith and Waters have done some drug running in the prison, at the behest of Frazier. They got into a fight with some other inmates and ended up in solitary in just their second week at that fine institution.” Garcia touched a few keys on her keyboard and continued, “And Waters is already up on charges for assault on another prisoner.” Garcia grew quiet for a moment and held back a sniffle, causing Emily to sit down next to her and put her hand on Penelope’s hand.

 

         “What is it?” 

 

         “I guess something good came out of Reid’s time there. After his friend Luis was killed,” she said in a quiet voice, “They seem to be taking assaults on other inmates more seriously now.”

 

         Prentiss nodded, biting her lip. “That is a good thing.”

 

         Garcia took a deep breath and resolutely entered a few more keystrokes. 

 

         “Anyway,” she continued, determined to get back to the job at hand, “Waters is from nearby Alexandria. Smith was born and raised in Kentucky but moved to DC for school a few years ago and promptly dropped out after losing his football scholarship. Hmm, the other two? Frazier and Duerson are both originally from New York City. Best friends since grade school back in the Bronx, they came to DC with their families in their sophomore year of high school. Joe Duerson was groomed for a wrestling scholarship but lacked the self-discipline to accomplish that. And Eddie Frazier, well, he just lacked discipline altogether. They both ended up in with the wrong crowd in school, got into B & E’s and drugs and, well, ended up at Milburn where they have resided for,” she paused, “ _Ever_. Frazier’s in for life for murder one, Emily. Duerson’s doing twenty-five to life for his indiscretions, the worst of which is apparently being Frazier’s lackey.”

 

         “So, they have nothing to lose, really.”

 

         “Well apparently, after Reid ruined their drug shipment, and was exonerated and released—whoa. This Frazier sure does hold a grudge, Em. We know he killed Luis Delgado, but he also arranged a brutal beating on Malcolm, another one of Spencer’s friends. There have been four other serious incidents at Milburn where other inmates have been severely beaten. And he just got out of solitary for the third time since Reid was released. Revenge seems to be high on his list of priorities. I don’t like the sound of this, Emily. He could be targeting our Wunderkind.”

 

         Prentiss pursed her lips and read from the monitor in front of Garcia, “Duerson’s parents moved out west a couple years ago. Frazier’s parents divorced during his first go round at senior year in high school.”

 

She took a breath and Garcia hit some more keys, finding more information, which she reported to Emily. “Frazier’s mother moved back to NYC but his father still lives fairly close by in Manassas, Virginia. He used to run a small appliances repair shop in a southern neighbourhood of DC but he retired and relocated to Manassas,” Garcia paused to wait for more information and correlated the new data, “He left DC when Eddie was found guilty of murder and sent away to Milburn in 2012, Emily. I sent Frazier’s father’s address and phone number to your cell.”

 

“I’m gonna give him a call,” she told Penelope. “Forward all that information to our phones, please, Garcia.” She left the tech analyst’s office and addressed the lone team member still in the bullpen.

 

“Have a look at what Penelope’s sending you,” Prentiss directed as she opened her phone and made her way to her office.

 

Tara Lewis sat at her desk and was going through all the Intel Garcia had just sent her. She read the case information for all four escaped inmates, familiarising herself with their histories. Prentiss joined her a few minutes later.

 

“Don Frazier hasn’t seen his son since he was imprisoned.” Emily told her, “He lost his business and moved away, met someone and then settled in Manassas with his new wife. Since Eddie Frazier exhibits a penchant for revenge, I alerted the police in Manassas to keep an eye on the father, and an eye  _out_  for the son.”

 

“You think Frazier might be going after his father?” Tara asked her.

 

“No, I don’t really,” she replied thoughtfully. “I think he’s after  _Reid_ , Tara.”

 

“But why would he break out of prison just to exact revenge on Reid? He’d only end up right back in prison. Nothing about his history, nothing about his personality indicates that Eddie Frazier has any kind of suicidal tendencies, Emily. From what I read, he’s a narcissist and a psychopath.”

 

“I agree. And this might help us. If he  _does_ have Reid, if he  _is_  the one behind this kidnapping, maybe Reid’s his leverage.”

 

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Reid retrieved the spoon from under the cot and returned to the window. He angled the utensil so it would reflect the bright sunlight and hoped that someone out on the sidewalk below him would see it. And more importantly, would recognise the Morse code message he was signaling.

 

He sent the signal and kept a sharp eye out to see if anyone noticed it. The signal was repeated several times and Reid scanned the sparse crowd below. Several people had their cellphones out and at least two seemed to have pointed them towards his location. He hoped fervently this was the case and sent the signal once more before returning to the cot and replacing the spoon in its hiding spot underneath.

 

Not a minute later, he heard noise at the door and then it opened and in walked one of his kidnappers.

 

 

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Behind them, the elevator door opened and four members of the team rejoined them.

 

“Spence was definitely taken against his will,” JJ affirmed, sharing what she and Alvez had learned while investigating Reid’s apartment. 

 

“And his gun safe was still shut and locked, so I think we can assume his firearm is in there,” Alvez finished.

 

         Rossi and Simmons related what they had learned and together, the team came to the conclusion that Prentiss’ suggestion was correct: Eddie Frazier was behind Reid’s kidnapping. 

 

         “It worries me,” Rossi told them, “That there hasn’t been any contact from the kidnappers yet.”

 

         A quick glance at the clock and Prentiss pointed out, “It’s been what, ten hours?”

 

         Behind them, the phone rang. At the same time, JJ’s cell phone went off. She pulled it from her pocket to answer it as Prentiss reached for the BAU landline on Lewis’ desk.

 

         They waited while both women finished their calls and then Prentiss relayed what she’d learned. “There was a bank robbery downtown earlier this morning. Two guys in denim and hoods. Nobody was hurt; the bank tellers complied and gave them money. One guy got away, the other one was chased down and nabbed by—“ she paused as JJ was smiling, “What?”

 

         “Will,” JJ told them, waving her phone before replacing it in her pocket. “Arrested Kyle Waters this morning, at an electronics store not too far away from that bank. He was still wearing his prison garb but he was buying a cell phone.”

 

         Rossi’s eyebrows rose.

 

         “He admitted that they kidnapped Spence,” JJ continued, “And he laughed when Will asked where they took Spence. ‘Somewhere  _safe.’_ he said. Will’s got officers investigating several reports of auto theft this morning. He figures Smith and Waters stole another car. And will meet up with Frazier and Duerson again later.”

 

         “That fits with what Warden Harding told us,” Simmons explained, “The four of them got out together but split up. They took the two cars belonging to the guards they killed.”

 

         “And they knew police would be looking for those so they’d ditch them for new ones,” Alvez added. 

 

         “DCPD found both guards’ cars this morning. One over in the Georgetown area, the other one down in Anacostia,” Simmons relayed.

 

         “And that’s where Will’s men are investigating eleven different car thefts. Kyle Waters also told Will that the four of them had been talking cars with the guards casually for days. Frazier’s smart, he’s been planning this for ages and worked out every conceivable angle.”

 

         “They knew enough to split up to avoid immediate capture. And apparently, Frazier got Waters and Smith to do the kidnapping. He could have gotten Reid’s address from the prison files.” Alvez suggested.

 

         Prentiss hit the intercom and buzzed Garcia, “Penelope, can you pull up the security cameras on Reid’s apartment building and see if you can see the kidnappers?” She released a sigh and seemed a little angry with herself for not thinking of this sooner. A moment later, Garcia replied.

 

         “Oh, Boss Lady, it seems they thought of this too. The camera on the front door of Reid’s building is suddenly out of order as of last night. And the one on the parking area shows me nothing except people coming in and out. And no sign of our 187, so they must not have parked a vehicle in that lot. I’ll check the neighbourhood, see if there are any others nearby.”

 

         “Did they get anything out of Waters about Frazier’s plans? Are they laying low for a couple of days? Are they supposed to contact Frazier?” Lewis asked.

 

         JJ shook her head, “They’re still questioning him.”

 

         A few minutes later, Garcia called them back, “I just sent you surveillance from the prison, guys.” 

 

         “What is it, Dave?”  Prentiss saw the deeply concerned look on Rossi’s face as he watched the newest footage on his phone.

         “Frazier killed one of those guards, Duerson killed the other. They’re gonna face the death penalty now, Emily. Spencer Reid is in real trouble.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

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         “I, uh, brought you something to eat,” the kidnapper held out a fast food bag and a coffee to Reid. He took the items and set them on the table then turned back to the man.

 

         “What’s your name?”

 

         The kidnapper looked at Reid in surprise. 

 

         “You obviously know who I am, but what should I call you?” Reid asked.

 

         “David. I’m David,” he finally answered in a meek voice. He slipped off his backpack and set it on the floor beside the table.

 

         “Where’s the other guy, where’s your partner?” Reid prodded.

 

         David hesitated. Reid was sure the young man was formulating a lie.

 

         “He’s taking care of a few things,” David finally answered. 

 

         “Mmhmm,” Reid acknowledged. He waved a hand at the food on the table and addressed David again, “Thanks for breakfast.”

 

         “Why did you guys kidnap me?” Reid wondered if he’d gone too far with that question but David replied almost immediately.

 

         “He thinks you can get us out of there.”

 

         Reid waited for a minute, considered asking who  _he_ was, and then changed gears and asked, “Why are you in prison?”

 

         David’s eye cast downward and his feet shuffled as he moved to sit in one of the chairs by the table. “I got five to ten in Milburn for helping a buddy rob a bank.”

 

         Reid eyed him for a moment and assessed him. David seemed subdued and vulnerable. Reid took the few steps necessary to reach the table and sat down across from his kidnapper. He took the breakfast sandwich out of the bag and set it down and turned his attention momentarily to the coffee. Black, he noted, and found a half dozen sugar packets and several creamers in the bottom of the bag. As he added those to the coffee, he trained his eyes on David again.

 

         “Not much of a buddy if he got you into that kind of trouble, is he?” Reid asked softly.

 

         To his complete surprise, David started to cry. He swiped at his eyes and then angrily stood up. 

 

         “Eddie said you’d try to trick me!”

 

         “Eddie?” Reid kept his tone as neutral as possible.  _Was this Eddie the ringleader?_

         “I’m not telling you anything else! Eddie will kill me,” he said defiantly and then took his gun out of his pocket and waved it menacingly.

 

         For the first time since David had entered the room, Reid felt nervous and threatened. He tempered his anxiety and thought quickly. Obviously, David was working with someone else. Something about his demeanor made Reid think David was a somewhat unwilling partner in their endeavour, but David was agitated and Reid felt it was better to back off for now.

 

         “Sorry. I don’t mean to get you in trouble with,” he paused and made it appear he was trying to remember and then finished, “Eddie?”

 

         David swallowed and sighed. He held his gun in his right hand and was idly playing with it with his left. Reid watched him carefully and saw his shoulders relax. A short time later, David put the gun back in his pocket.

 

         “Can you tell me what time it is?” Reid asked him.

 

         David pulled his cellphone from another pocket, clicked it on and after a quick glance, clicked it off and replaced it in the pocket.

 

         “Just after 1.”

 

         “Thank you.” Reid sipped at the coffee. A few minutes later, David pulled the cellphone out of the pocket and consulted it again. He seemed disappointed to see no messages.  _Waiting for further instructions,_ Reid thought. They sat in silence for several minutes; the only sound was Reid sipping and swallowing coffee.

 

         Half an hour went by and David’s phone chimed, indicating he’d received a text. Hurriedly, he retrieved it, scanned the message and sent a reply. He rose and picked the backpack up off the floor. Opening it, he withdrew a couple of bottles of water and set them on the table. He added two cans and an opener and told Reid,

 

         “I’ll be back later. Not sure how long I’ll be. I, uh, I’m leaving you some dinner here,” he indicated the cans of peaches and baked beans. “Sorry there isn’t more.”

 

         Reid waved the apology off, “Thank you.”

 

         David hefted his backpack and left, securing the door behind him.

 

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         JJ, Alvez, Lewis and Simmons were seated around the conference room table, eating the pizza they’d ordered. They were going through the Intel collected and trying to figure out their next move.

 

         “I hate this,” Simmons grumbled, “We should be out there looking for Reid.”

 

         “DCPD is doing that, Matt,” Lewis reassured him unnecessarily. 

 

         “I hope Rossi can get some more information out of Kyle Waters,” Alvez said.

 

         JJ was poring over one of the files Garcia had left for them and looked up from it when she found something, “So, Waters’ partner David Smith was originally charged with felony armed robbery. And then it appears from the trial testimony, that he was caught up with the wrong crowd and pressured into it. This was his first felony offense; all three of his priors were misdemeanour mischief and stuff like that. Vandalism.”

 

         “And he’s out there on his own now,” Alvez speculated. “I wonder—“

 

         He was interrupted by the sound of JJ’s cellphone ringing. They all waited as she answered it. She rose from her seat excitedly as she concluded the call, “Will,” she explained, waving the phone, “DCPD thinks they might have Frazier and Duerson. Just off Canal Road in Georgetown. They’ve closed off a few roads around an industrial building there. The suspects in a carjacking at a gas station about five minutes away fit their descriptions.”

 

         Alvez rose from his seat, “I’ll go,” he offered and looked to Simmons who immediately volunteered to go with him.

 

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         Reid counted slowly to one hundred and then went into action. He picked up the can opener and the tin of beans David had left for him, grabbed one of the chairs and moved to the door. Spreading the opener apart, he set the long rounded part of its handle into position at the bottom of the lower door hinge. He banged the tin against the can opener repeatedly in an effort to knock the hinge pin out of place. It seemed stuck firmly so he abandoned the bottom hinge. Standing on the chair, he repeated the process with the upper hinge. This pin seemed looser, he noted, and he continued to whack the can against the opener.

 

         He worried that repeated strikes would end up poking a hole into the can, an issue he overcame by rotating the can slightly every three or four strikes. Certain that he was making progress, Reid continued his efforts, knowing that if he did damage the can too much for it to be of further use, there was still the can of peaches to use.

 

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	5. Chapter 5

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         “Emily?” Garcia shuffled her way excitedly into the conference room, calling “Emily? Oh!” 

 

         JJ and Lewis were seated at the round table and Garcia turned to leave, but bumped into Emily who’d come when she heard Penelope calling.

 

         “What’s up, Pen?”

 

         “I got the strangest call, Emily. You guys need to see this,” she plugged her phone into the laptop on the table and punched a few keys. “Because I think, well, you’ll see.”

 

         Immediately, an mpg appeared on the screen. A series of light flashes flickered across the monitor within the video that appeared to be a recording of a nondescript building. JJ and Lewis looked on in confusion. 

         

         “Where’d this come from, Penelope?” Prentiss asked, “And what does it have to do with, well, anything?”

 

         “The light flashes, guys. Do you see it?”

 

         “There’s a definite pattern. Right?” Lewis remarked.

 

         Garcia nodded, “It’s Morse code, guys. The first part is  _my_ phone number. And the last part looks like r-e-a-d.”

 

         She waited for just a beat while the others absorbed the information. She waited another moment when none of them said anything, and then explained further. “See the letter a is dot-dash and the letter i is dot-dot. It was hard to tell which it is, but either way, it’s our Reid guys. And he’s telling us where he is!”

 

         Lewis and JJ rose immediately, Prentiss repeated her earlier question, “Where’d this come from Garcia?”  


         “I got a phone call. A student named Joshua Korman was on his way to Anacostia High School. He said he was walking down Minnesota Street and saw the lights flickering in a window in the second storey of the old bank building. It happened again. And again. So he whipped out his cellphone and shot the video.”

 

         The four women were now walking swiftly through the bullpen: JJ and Tara stopping at their desks to retrieve their bullet proof vests.

 

         Garcia gave Prentiss Joshua Korman’s cellphone number and Prentiss called him immediately.

 

         “Pen, how did Joshua Korman know to call you?” JJ asked.  


         “I wondered that myself, and hetold me he wants to join the Coast Guard when he graduates next year. He learned Semaphore—that’s that thing with the flags—“ Garcia made flag waving gestures as she spoke, “and Morse Code. He recognised the light flashes were a pattern and then he realised they were Morse code. He understood the numbers as a phone number and called me, but he didn’t understand the r-e-a-d.”

 

         “Okay, I have the address of that building,” Prentiss told them as they reached the elevator, “Let’s go! And thank you Penelope!”

 

         The elevator arrived and the three profilers scrambled into it. As the door closed, Prentiss was on her phone, calling DCPD and requesting they meet at the address Garcia had given them. Meanwhile, Penelope made a phone call of her own. A few minutes later, she sent Prentiss a text message.

 

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         Alvez and Simmons stayed out of the way as the DCPD SWAT unit took their positions around the abandoned waterfront warehouse. Repeated requests to give themselves up had been ignored by Duerson and Frazier, and the SWAT team was now readying to storm the building and take them down forcefully.

 

         “Tara said they didn’t profile as suicidal,” Alvez remembered.

 

         Simmons made a face before reminding his partner, “Yeah but that was before they killed two prison guards. Facing the death penalty, Luke. Still think they’d give themselves up?”

 

         Alvez grimaced. Their attention was caught by the sudden arrival of another of the FBI fleet Suburbans. David Rossi stepped out of the vehicle and joined them. “Where’s the lead officer?” he asked and immediately moved in the direction Simmons indicated.

 

         The SWAT leader, Ian Roth, spoke briefly with Rossi and then motioned to several of his officers. 

 

         Rossi returned to his BAU partners and relayed what he’d just told the SWAT leader. “I just got back from the station and my little visit with Kyle Waters. He and Smith were the ones who kidnapped Reid. The plan was to keep him safe, and Waters kept emphasising that word  _safe_  until Frazier contacted them with his next instructions.”

 

         Simmons nodded acknowledgement and Alvez asked, “So Frazier and Duerson don’t know Waters has been arrested?”

 

         “No, they don’t. If they’re following the news at all, they may have heard about the bank robbery Waters and Smith pulled off this morning but they don’t know about Waters being arrested. Or Reid’s whereabouts. My little friend Kyle was pretty adamant about the kidnapping being his endeavour.”

 

         “Well at least we know Reid isn’t  _here_  then,” Simmons sounded somewhat relieved.

 

         Rossi agreed with him. “I’m gonna go in with them and see if I can help negotiate a successful surrender. You guys let Emily know, okay?”

 

         Simmons nodded, taking out his cellphone. It rang before he had a chance to make a call.

 

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         He hammered the can of peaches against the can opener handle again and again, refusing to accept failure as a possible outcome. 

 

         “It’s too bad Morgan isn’t here to see this,” he muttered, “He wouldn’t believe the muscle tone I’m gonna have here.”

 

         Stopping for a moment, Reid stepped down from the chair and opened one of the water bottles David had left him. He drank almost half of it before replacing the cap and setting it back down on the table. Returning to the door, he climbed back up on the chair and resumed bashing the hinge pin with the peaches tin.

 

         After almost an hour of constant battering, Reid saw the pin give way and move. Grasping the pin’s exposed end at the top of the hinge, he pulled and twisted and after a few minutes, the pin moved and fell into his hands. Elated, he shoved it into his pajama pocket and pulled on the hinge. The door moved inwards about four inches. He paused and looked around the room. 

 

         “What I need now is something to wedge into the opening,” he said aloud as his eyes surveyed the contents of the room.

 

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	6. Chapter 6

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         “Matt?” 

 

         “Yeah, it’s me. What’s up, Emily?”

 

         “We have a lead on Reid’s whereabouts. Garcia should be sending you a file. JJ, Tara and I are on the way there now.”

 

         “That’s awesome, Emily. I’ll let Alvez and Rossi know.”

 

         “Yeah, I tried to call Rossi, got no answer.”

 

         “Oh. Uh yeah, he’s gone in with the SWAT team to try and negotiate with those two—what did he call them?—Jagoffs I think.”

 

         Prentiss suppressed a smile, “Okay, thanks, Matt.”

 

         “Hey, let us know when you find Reid!” Matt replied.

 

         “Will do! Take care,” Emily directed before ending the call. She saw the text message from Penelope just as JJ pulled their SUV into a parking spot along Minnesota Street.  As they exited their vehicle, a young man approached them, cellphone in hand.

 

         “Are you the BAU agents?” he asked, “I’m Joshua Korman—“

 

         “Emily Prentiss,” the unit chief introduced herself. “Garcia let me know you were meeting us here, Joshua. Jennifer Jareau and Tara Lewis,” she introduced the other two agents. 

 

         Joshua pointed out the building, “It used to be a bank. The lower level was the public banking area with the tellers and the vault and stuff. Upstairs was where all the offices were. My mom used to work there years ago. But after it got robbed a year ago, they closed it down. It’s been empty ever since. After I talked to Miss Garcia earlier, I came back down here. Haven’t seen the signals again, but I’ve been watching to see if anyone comes in or out of the building.”

 

         Tara and JJ exchanged a look.

 

         “Has there been anybody?”

 

         “I took pictures of three people leaving,” he told them. “I sent them to Miss Garcia earlier, but here,” he showed them the photos on his phone. The first two pictures were of homeless people, and Joshua indicated they often sought shelter overnight in the building’s lower level open foyer. The third photo made them gasp. 

 

         “That’s David Smith! He’s one of the kidnappers,” Tara said, recognising him from the Intel she’d pored over earlier. 

 

As they spoke, two DCPD cruisers arrived with the four backup officers and medical Prentiss had requested. 

 

“Thanks,” Emily told Jordan, “You’ll have to stay down here though, okay?” 

 

         Emily approached the DCPD officers, conferred with them for a moment and then the officers accompanied the three BAU members into the building.

 

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         “This is Captain Ian Roth, DC Police SWAT Leader. Come out with your hands up!”

 

         Standing next to him, David Rossi tried very hard to not roll his eyes. He extended his hand to Captain Roth, indicating he wanted the bullhorn. “May I? Please?”

 

         Roth looked from Rossi to his own men and back to Rossi again. Realising Rossi was far more experienced and capable as a negotiator, he handed the megaphone over to the profiler.

 

“This is SSA David Rossi, from the FBI’s Behavioural Analysis Unit. Joe? Eddie?” he called on the megaphone. “Let’s talk about this.”

 

He gave them his own cell phone number and pulled the phone from his pocket.

 

“Come on guys, call me.”  Rossi waited.

 

 

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         It took him several moments of brute force but finally, Spencer managed to wrench free a leg from one of the chairs. He grunted under the effort, made his way back to the door and climbed up on the other chair. Wedging the leg into the opening at the top of the door, he pushed down on it with all his weight. The door creaked forward towards him an inch or so and he moved the leg further down to the lowest part of the opening. Again he pushed down on the leg with all his weight and again the door creaked and moved about an inch. Buoyed by this success, he redoubled his effort and repeated the process—and then the chair leg snapped, sending one half to the floor outside the room. 

 

         “Dammit,” he swore. Climbing down from his perch, he retrieved the broken chair and pulled another of its legs free. He uncapped the water bottle and finished the rest of it. Determinedly, he retook his position on the chair by the door and tried again. 

 

         He heard footsteps and hurriedly climbed down from the chair. Quickly setting it aside, he stood next to the door on the hinge side, brandishing the chair leg and waited.

 

         A male voice he didn’t recognise was apparently hushing his associates, as the footsteps grew nearer. Reid tensed. His heart pounded and he swore he could hear the blood coursing through his veins.

 

         “What the--?” 

 

         Reid’s shoulders slumped in relief as he recognised the voice of Emily Prentiss.

 

         “Emily! I’m in here! And I’m alone.”

 

         “Let’s finish breaking this door down,” the male voice commanded. “Stand clear, Dr. Reid!” 

 

         A few minutes and a dozen crowbar bashes later, the door collapsed into the room and three female profilers rushed into the room to hug their colleague.

 

         The DCPD officers stood by and watched the happy reunion for several minutes. Prentiss broke away to speak to the lead officer, leaving him in charge of processing the crime scene and assuring him that Reid would attend the station to issue his statement after he’d had a chance to rest, eat and be medically checked out.

 

         “His kidnapper is still at large,” the officer pointed out.

 

         “We’ll be taking him into Protective for now,” Prentiss told him.

 

         “I don’t think David Smith is going to be a problem,” Reid said softly.

 

         “Spence?” JJ was surprised.

 

         “I really think he was in all this reluctantly, guys. He didn’t profile as a kidnapper or a killer.” He ran his hand through his hair and his exhaustion from the ordeal became readily apparent. He was haggard and his eyes lacked their usual sparkle.

 

         The BAU members left the bank building, supporting a drained Reid as they made their way down the stairs. The FBI’s medical team arrived as the team came out of the building.

 

         Joshua was waiting for them by their SUV and Emily shook his hand and thanked him again for all the help he’d provided. Her phone rang and she moved away to take the call, leaving Reid with Lewis and JJ. 

 

         “This is the young man who helped us find you, Spence. Joshua Korman, Dr. Spencer Reid,” JJ made the introduction. She was not surprised to see Reid actually shake the teenager’s hand and thank him, commending him for his knowledge of Morse code. 

 

         The medical team took Reid aside to check him out and after a few minutes of scrutiny, pronounced him fit. He made his way back to his teammates just as JJ was inviting Joshua Korman to come tour the BAU at some point in the future and gave him her card and contact information. “You’ll need to give a statement to the police, too. They’re up at the scene at the moment, but they should be back down shortly.”

 

         He nodded and made his way over to their cruisers to wait for them. 

 

         Emily clicked off her phone and addressed her team, “That was Alvez. Rossi talked Duerson and Frazier into surrendering.” 

 

         “Trust David Rossi to be able to do that,” Lewis observed with genuine respect. 

 

         “He’s the best,” Prentiss agreed. There were sighs of relief all around that the two dangerous criminals had been recovered.

 

She opened the SUV door and climbed into the driver’s seat. Behind her, JJ helped Reid into the back seat and got in next to him. Lewis made a joke about finally riding shotgun. After briefly stopping at Reid’s apartment to let him collect some clothing and other belongings, the team made its way back to Quantico.

 

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	7. Chapter 7

 

Garcia waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive on the sixth floor. She paced back and forth by the door and when it finally opened, she took a deep breath and waited. She waited as Tara and Emily stepped off and acknowledged their return. She waited as JJ made her way out of the lift. She waited until Spencer stepped off the elevator and then she threw herself forward and enveloped him in her arms.

 

“Thank god, oh thank god you’re okay!” He hugged her in return and nodded when she asked him if he was all right and even managed a smile when she hugged him tighter. 

 

“I’m sorry, you must be so tired. And hungry. And relieved. And tired,” she repeated when she saw how true that was. The group made their way to Emily’s office where Reid was immediately seated on the couch.

 

“Spencer’s going to have to remain here in the building in Protective until the last inmate is back in custody,” Emily told her.

 

“Oh my, well. Okay, I can help with that. I’ve been there. Well, here. I’ll stay with him,” Garcia offered. Although she knew there would be a security detail assigned to Reid, her intention was to keep him company and Prentiss saw that.

 

“Thanks, Penelope, I’m sure Spencer will appreciate that.”

 

“You just wait here for a couple of minutes, 187, and I’ll get that suite all ready and cozy for you.” Garcia bustled away to take care of this task.

 

Emily’s phone rang again and she answered it. Several minutes later, the call concluded, she turned to relay information to JJ and Tara. Reid had fallen asleep on the couch. Prentiss moved towards her door, motioning the other two to follow her. She shut the door so they wouldn’t disturb Reid and turned to the ladies,

 

“Rossi, Alvez and Simmons are just finishing up at the police station. I told them to just go home after. It’s been a long grueling day for all of us. Even though it’s only six-thirty,” she noted. “Anyway, you guys go too. I just have a bit of—what else—paperwork to do, and I’ll be calling it a night too.”

 

She headed back into her office. Tara and JJ said goodnight and left. As they entered the elevator, two men exited it and made their way to Prentiss’ office. They rapped lightly at the door and Prentiss hurried to answer it.

 

“I’m BAU Unit Chief Prentiss,” she said in a loud whisper after shutting the door behind her.

 

“We’re from Protective, Agent Prentiss. I’m Torgenson. He’s Phillips. We’re here to be security for Dr. Reid.” Both men had their credentials hanging at their waistbands and Prentiss sighed with relief, shaking their hands. 

 

“Okay, he’s just sleeping in here,” she motioned behind her, “Until Garcia has the suite ready, and then he’ll be down the hall there,” she indicated with a sweep of her hand. The office door opened behind her and Reid stood next to her, still bleary-eyed but apparently hungry as his stomach let out a loud growl.

 

Prentiss laughed, made the introductions and Garcia arrived at that same moment. Again Prentiss made introductions and then she left Reid and Garcia with the security detail and reentered her office.

 

After ushering Torgenson, Phillips and their charge to the suite she’d set up, Garcia set about feeding Reid. She cooked up eggs and toast and apologised that there wasn’t more, but she’d arranged to have some basic groceries delivered the next day. 

 

“By arranged, I mean I told Alvez to stop by the  _Whole Foods_  and fill the list I texted him.”

 

“Thanks, Garcia, this is awesome,” Reid assured her. He ate heartily and practically fell into the bed set up for him in the protective suite’s tiny bedroom. In a matter of seconds, he was fast asleep. Torgenson and Phillips made themselves some coffee and sat down in the living room to watch the ballgame on TV. Garcia curled up on the cot she’d hauled out of storage earlier.

 

A few hours later, Torgenson was sleeping soundly on one couch in the safe suite living room; Phillips was sitting on the other, deeply engrossed in a game on his cellphone. Reid awakened and padded over to use the restroom, nodding an acknowledgement of Phillips’ presence as he did. On his way back to the bedroom, Reid noticed the light on in the kitchenette and he detoured to investigate.

 

Garcia was standing at the stove, stirring something in a pot. Reid sniffed the air appreciatively and moved closer. Not wanting to startle her, he made his presence known by sniffing again and asking,

 

“Hey Garcia, what’re you making? It sure smells great.”

 

“Oh! You’re up, Wunderkind. I’m sorry, did I wake you?” She stirred with deliberately slowed and quieted movement as he stepped up beside her and eyed the pot. 

 

“Chocolate? And no, you didn’t wake me, Penelope.”

 

“Fudge, yes. I’m making chocolate fudge. It’s comfort food and I couldn’t sleep anymore and I remembered what it was like being stuck here. Without the comforts of comfort things. For me, that was Sergio of course. And some of my little toys. And other things. Like fudge.”

 

He smiled as she continued to stir and chatter.

 

“I’m not sure how this is gonna work though, Spencer. I’m supposed to watch the temperature, heat it to just two hundred and thirty-eight degrees. How do I judge two hundred and thirty-eight degrees? Without a candy thermometer?”

 

Reid’s smile widened. “It’s the sugar, Penelope. You want to heat it just to the point where it starts to ball up with the other ingredients. Use a wooden spoon, it won’t conduct the heat,” he told her. He opened the top drawer and pulled one out, taking the fork out of her hands and handing her the wooden spoon.

“Once you see that the mixture’s holding the shape if it’s balled up,” he paused and took the spoon from her. Gently, he stuck the spoon in the middle of the pot, and pushed part of the fudge towards the outer edge. It flowed freely around the spoon, indicating it wasn’t ready yet. “Push like this, until it balls up and stays. Then take the spoon out, and the pot off the burner and let science work its magic.”

 “Thank you, Your Braininess, this is most helpful,” she continued to stir with one hand and reached out and squeezed his arm with the other. “What would I do without you?”

 He made a face, smiled again and ventured, “Burn the fudge?”

 “Oh you!” She laughed as she continued to stir. They talked amicably about several subjects while the fudge continued to bubble and in the middle of a sentence defending her favourite Dr. Who, Garcia interrupted herself, “But the Tenth Doctor is—oh, it’s balling! It’s balling, 187! Look, it’s done, right?”

 

He shared her enthusiasm, turning the stove off and removing the pot from the burner. “Do you have a baking dish to pour it into?”

 

Garcia rifled through another cupboard and came up with a cake pan. “Will this do?” Upon his confirmation, she quickly buttered the bottom of the pan and set it on the counter beside the stove. After she poured the fudge into the pan, she placed it in the refrigerator.

 

“I didn’t know you were going to be up, Spencer. We have to let it cool for several hours so it’ll set and be ready to eat tomorrow. I’m sorry, if I’d known you were up, I would’ve made cookies or something instead, so you could eat them now.”  She rummaged through a cupboard and came up with a pair of glasses and a bottle of wine. 

 

He took the wine bottle from her, took her free hand and led her over to the kitchen table where he saw her into a seat. 

 

“This is all really sweet of you, Penelope. Making me dinner tonight, this fudge, sending Alvez grocery shopping for me. Being here with me. Just how long do you think I’m gonna be stuck here?”

 

After opening the bottle, he poured them each a glass and then sat down next to her. “You’re an incredible friend, Penelope.” He rose his glass in a toast. 

 

She clinked her glass against his and responded, “You’re more like family than friend, Spencer.” Her eyes filled with unshed tears.

 

His own eyes welled up and he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, “So are you.”

 

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	8. Chapter 8

 

          The following morning, Rossi, Alvez and Simmons arrived early at the BAU and had breakfast with Reid in the conference room. With Torgenson and Phillips standing just outside the door, Garcia hurriedly left.

 

         “The testosterone level in here is just off the charts! I’ll be back when Tara and JJ get here!” 

 

An hour later, Garcia presented the newest case to the entire team, now assembled in the round table room after which Prentiss sent all but Reid to Sidney, Ohio to help the local police catch a killer.

 

         Reid researched the town from his desk and joined Garcia in her office later to share the information he’d collected. Afterwards, he returned to his own desk and read everything he could about his kidnapping; reading through all the files about the four inmates that Garcia had left in a pile on his desk. 

 

Torgenson and Phillips were never far behind. Reid tried to ignore them. He watched several video files pertaining to his kidnapping that the tech analyst had provided.

 

Garcia brought coffee and a sprinkle-covered doughnut down to Reid at his desk, and had to pass by the security detail on the way.

 

“Coffee! And sprinkles!” he exclaimed, pleased, “Thank you so much!” He leaned forward and asked, “Did you bring them any?” indicating the security agents.

 

She rolled her eyes and lowered her voice,

 

“No. Of course not.” She made a face and then smiled and asked, “But anyway. Never mind them! How are you today, Spencer? Recovered?”

 

He nodded and told her, “Yeah, I’m a lot better. Thanks. I just hope they find David Smith soon.”

 

“Tired of me and them,” she inclined her head in the direction of the security detail, “already?”

 

“What?” he asked in surprise and then realised what she meant, “No. I mean I hope they find him soon. Or he turns himself in. He’s not like Frazier or Duerson, Penelope. He’s not even like Kyle Waters.”

 

         “Spencer?” Prentiss appeared at the top of the steps that led down to the bullpen.

 

         “What’s up, Emily?” he asked, rising to his feet.

 

         “Will just called. They need you down at the police station.”

 

“All right, I’m on my way.” He pulled out his iPhone and made a call, and then texted Will LaMontagne.

 

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“He’s in there, Spencer.” Will indicated an interview room down the hall from where they were standing, outside his office. “Called this mornin’ and said he wanted ta turn himself in. But only if he could be arrested by you.”

 

         Reid nodded, “Is he all right? Does he know about Frazier and Duerson?”

         “Haven’t told him anythin’ ‘cept that you called a lawyer for him and th’ lawyer’s on th’ way in.”

 

         “Okay, thanks,” Reid took a deep breath, wiped his hands on his pants and pushed open the door. 

 

         “Hey, David, how are you doing? Can I get you a drink or something to eat?” He stood and waited for David’s answer, preparing to go procure whatever David requested.

 

         “Dr. Reid! You’re okay.” David’s face reflected genuine relief and concern over Reid’s wellbeing. “Man, am I glad to see that! And I’m okay. And thanks, I haven’t eaten yet today.”

 

         Reid opened the door and spoke briefly to Will then turned back to his interviewee. This time, he moved to the table and sat down in the chair opposite David.

 

         “Food’s coming,” Reid began. “You called Detective LaMontagne this morning?”

 

         David shook his head. “No, I called the tip line actually. I couldn’t get back to that bank building last night and,” he paused and looked down at his shoes, “Well, I couldn’t just leave you there.”

 

         Reid’s eyebrows rose. “Why not?”

 

         David sighed and looked up to make eye contact with Reid. He was silent for a long moment before finally replying, “It wasn’t right.”

 

         “David, you know that they caught and arrested Kyle Waters, right?”

 

         He nodded.

 

         “And yesterday, Frazier and Duerson were recaptured.”

 

         David’s posture immediately straightened, his eyes widened and he sighed in relief. “Eddie and Joe are back in jail?” He realised almost instantaneously that jail was where he himself was likely headed, and his shoulders sagged again. 

 

         “I can help you but you have to help me here, too, David.”

 

         “What?” David was skeptical. “How?”

 

         “Frazier and Duerson are already both serving life. They’ll be lucky to not get the death penalty for killing those two guards. But David, I know—we know—you had nothing to do with that. Neither did Kyle. Those guard deaths are on Frazier and Duerson.”

 

         Reid watched him intently for several moments. He saw the fear in the kid’s eyes. David tapped on the table nervously, bit his lip repeatedly and was near tears. 

 

         “Tell me what happened, David. How did you get involved with Kyle Waters? And Frazier and Duerson?”

 

         The door opened and Will beckoned Reid. They spoke briefly and then Reid reentered the interview room, carrying a fast food bag and a large paper cup filled with  _Coca Cola._  He handed the food over to David, who opened the bag and immediately began eating, mumbling a muted thank you to Reid as he ate.

 

         “You’re afraid of Frazier and Duerson, aren’t you?” Reid prodded.

 

         Swallowing, David took another sip of his  _Coke_ and sat back. He nodded miserably.

 

         “Believe me, I know how that feels.” A thought occurred to Spencer.  “David, I can have you moved to a different prison. Actually, those two could be on Death Row and that would mean  _they’d_ end up in a higher security facility like Lompoc. Or Leavenworth. I’ll have you put in protective in the meantime, if it’s necessary.”

 

         He saw the visible relief on David’s face and pressed, “So, tell me, David, how’d you get mixed up with those two?”

 

         David took another bite of his sandwich, wiped his mouth with his hands and sighed deeply. “Kyle. We’ve been friends for a long time. He stood up for me when I got picked on in middle school and well; I’ve always kinda followed him around since then. We did a lot of stupid stuff in high school.”

 

         Reid nodded, “I saw the file. Vandalism. Petty thefts.”

 

         David reddened in shame. “Yeah. We never hurt anybody. And then he wanted more. So he got this idea to rob a bank. And well, that’s how we ended up in Milburn.”

 

         “So what happened with the two goons?”

 

         “Kyle again. He saved me from getting beat up by another inmate. We ended up having those two in our face one day out in the exercise yard and Eddie said if we did him a favour, he’d make sure nobody ever touched us again.”

 

         He started to sob and Reid let up for a moment, allowing David to collect himself. 

 

         “He made you run his drugs, didn’t he?”

 

         “How’d you know?”

 

         Reid bent in closer to him and told him, “The same thing happened to me.”

 

         David’s mouth fell open in astonishment.

 

         “I was set up and framed and ended up in Milburn myself for three months. Frazier wanted me to move his drugs and when I resisted, he killed my friend.” His eyes clouded over momentarily as he remembered Luis and then he continued, “I knew I’d be next if I didn’t comply. Luckily, I ended up being exonerated and got out of there before anything else happened,” he deliberately withheld disclosing his incidents with Calvin Shaw and the poisoned drugs. “But Frazier would’ve killed me.”

 

         “Wow. Man, I had no idea.”

 

         “And I’m not going to let that happen to you. So. Now. About my kidnapping,” he led.

 

         “I didn’t know you were an FBI agent, Dr. Reid, until after Kyle knocked you out that night and we took you to that old bank building. Kyle just said Eddie wanted to get even with you. I didn’t know why. Don’t think even Kyle knew  _why._ He was so proud, so sure Eddie’d be happy to hear we did it; we got you for him.”

 

         He paused to sip some more of his drink and continued. “He planned the breakout. Eddie did, I mean. We didn’t have to do anything except cause a fake argument over a card game. He said it was gonna be a diversion. Kyle and me, we didn’t know they were gonna kill those guards!” His eyes welled up again, “I only knew one of them, his names was Butler and he was a really cool guy. He talked football with us all the time. But we didn’t know Eddie and Joe were going to kill them.” His words were punctuated with genuine sobs and Reid felt for him.

 

         “Anyway, they killed the guards and took us with them when we got out during the confusion. Eddie and Joe got the guards’ keys from them and when we got out to the employee parking lot, Eddie gave Kyle a set of keys, pointed out the car and told him to call him the next day. He had a cell phone, I’m not sure where he got it, but he gave Kyle the number. And they gave us guns.” 

 

         “After we got away, we ditched the guard’s car, stole another one and Kyle got it in his head to kidnap you. So we did. And then the next morning, we robbed that bank. Kyle wanted another phone. He gave me the one he got from Eddie. We split up after the robbery and he said he’d meet me back in Anacostia.”

 

         His gaze met Reid’s again and he swallowed hard. “And he never did.”

 

         “No, he didn’t. He was captured while buying a cellphone in a kiosk downtown.”

 

         “And Eddie and Joe?”

 

         “One of my FBI colleagues persuaded them to surrender last night.”

 

         David smiled and nodded acknowledgement. 

 

         “Why didn’t you go back to where I was being held?” Reid asked.

 

         Hanging his head, David shamefully admitted he was afraid to. “I went to where I was supposed to meet Eddie. He didn’t show. I waited for hours and he still didn’t show. And I got scared. I’m sorry.” The last words came out as a hoarse whisper.

 

         Reid looked at his watch. “Your lawyer should be here soon, David.”

 

         “Dr. Reid?”

 

         “Yeah?”

 

         “How did they find you? How did you escape?”

 

         “The can opener. And the can of peaches,” Reid smiled. 

 

         A knock sounded on the door, and it opened. Fiona Duncan entered the room, looking surprised to see David Smith and Spencer Reid together in the same room.

 

         “This is my client? The man who kidnapped you?” she asked.

 

         “He also furnished the means for my escape,” Reid told her. “I’ll get Detective LaMontagne. David Smith wants to turn himself in, and I’ll let the detective know his attorney is here now.”

 

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_It is our choices….that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities._ **-J.K. Rowling**

 

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